Title: 5G Fundamentals – What is a Commercial 5G Network and How Does My Handset Attach to It?

As networks evolve from 3G to 4G and now 5G, an all-connected world is becoming reality. A foundational understanding of commercial mobile network technology is necessary for experts and non-experts alike to understand everyday cyber activities and how cybersecurity protects networks. This tutorial will teach the audience how modeling, simulating, and applying various cybersecurity techniques to daily activities, such as attaching a mobile device to a network, surfing the web, and sending a text message, can help secure your device and information. In addition, this tutorial will educate the I/ITSEC audience on the basics of mobile network technology, and how simulation systems build a broad and deep understanding of cybersecurity scenarios in a mobile network environment. The commercial mobile network technology world is awash with terms and acronyms that even professionals find difficult to navigate. CACI subject matter experts will guide attendees through an overview of commercial mobile networks and fifth generation (5G) mobile network technology, explaining key terms and acronyms and detailing important definitions. We will explain the major components of networks, such as endpoint devices, radio access networks, backhaul, and core. We will use a modeling and simulation system to help attendees better visualize and understand 5G network protocols, and how a 5G endpoint device (e.g., a handset) attaches, detaches, and moves around across a network. The session will culminate with an overview of cybersecurity and how fundamental firewall, access control list (ACL) and encryption techniques can be applied to protect the end-user’s devices and information. Several key topics of interest in mobile technology will also be explored. A discussion of endpoint devices will focus on showing how a device is uniquely identified by a network, and what a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is, and how it is used for authentication and authorization. A segment on radio access networks will detail the function and purpose of various form factors for access points, from large to small cells, and explain the benefits and tradeoffs for each. The backhaul and core discussion will also define, enumerate, and compare the varied architectural approaches to backhauling thousands of potential access points towards a common core network. The complete tutorial will provide a solid foundational knowledge base on commercial mobile networks and use modeling and simulation.